[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4750 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 4750


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 28, 2006

                                Received

                           November 13, 2006

     Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT



   To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to conduct a study to 
     determine the feasibility of implementing a water supply and 
conservation project to improve water supply reliability, increase the 
 capacity of water storage, and improve water management efficiency in 
 the Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in Nebraska and 
                        Milford Lake in Kansas.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Lower Republican River Basin Study 
Act''.

SEC. 2. REPUBLICAN RIVER BASIN FEASIBILITY STUDY.

    (a) Authorization of Study.--Pursuant to reclamation laws, the 
Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and 
in consultation and cooperation with the States of Nebraska, Kansas, 
and Colorado, may conduct a study to--
            (1) determine the feasibility of implementing a water 
        supply and conservation project that will--
                    (A) improve water supply reliability in the 
                Republican River Basin between Harlan County Lake in 
                Nebraska and Milford Lake in Kansas, including areas in 
                the counties of Harlan, Franklin, Webster, and Nuckolls 
                in Nebraska and Jewel, Republic, Cloud, Washington, and 
                Clay in Kansas (in this section referred to as the 
                ``Republican River Basin'');
                    (B) increase the capacity of water storage through 
                modifications of existing projects or through new 
                projects that serve areas in the Republican River 
                Basin; and
                    (C) improve water management efficiency in the 
                Republican River Basin through conservation and other 
                available means and, where appropriate, evaluate 
                integrated water resource management and supply needs 
                in the Republican River Basin; and
            (2) consider appropriate cost-sharing options for 
        implementation of the project.
    (b) Cost Sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of the study shall 
not exceed 50 percent of the total cost of the study, and shall be 
nonreimbursable.
    (c) Cooperative Agreements.--The Secretary shall undertake the 
study through cooperative agreements with the State of Kansas or 
Nebraska and other appropriate entities determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Completion and Report.--
            (1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), not 
        later than 3 years after the date of the enactment of this 
        section the Secretary of the Interior shall complete the study 
        and transmit to the Congress a report containing the results of 
        the study.
            (2) Extension.--If the Secretary determines that the study 
        cannot be completed within the 3-year period beginning on the 
        date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary--
                    (A) shall, at the time of that determination, 
                report to the Congress on the status of the study, 
                including an estimate of the date of completion; and
                    (B) complete the study and transmit to the Congress 
                a report containing the results of the study by not 
                later than that date.
    (e) Sunset of Authority.--The authority of the Secretary to carry 
out any provisions of this Act shall terminate 10 years after the date 
of the enactment of this Act.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 27, 2006.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.